“Now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maids you were? Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight. Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.”
— Ruth 3:2-3
We know that the events of chapter three do not immediately follow those of chapter two, for there has been at least one wheat harvest after the initial barley harvest (Ruth 2:23). After partaking of these harvests (representing the experience of the Lord’s resurrection and death), and after being washed, anointed, and clothed in this way, in the dark night we must come to our Boaz on the threshing floor in a hidden way.
We do not declare our experience or anything that we have. Instead, we hide ourselves. In the previous chapter, Ruth stood forth. In this experience, however, she must learn to stay hidden. When we offer ourselves to the Lord in this way, we are not seeking enjoyment in the church life; we are seeking Christ Himself.
Adapted from Ruth: Growth Unto Maturity, pages 60-61.
Tomorrow: “Waiting for the Lord”